Exhaust steam nozzle for locomotives



Aug. 18, 1931. 5. H. cooK EXHAUST STEAM NOZZLE *F'OR LOCOMOTIVES Filed Oct. 51.? 1928 I'm/617361 G'z'Zes H Cook.-

EMT/my Patented Aug. 18, 1931 El STA"l lilS GILES H. COOK, OF DES MOINES, IOWA XHAUST STEAJIII NOZZLE FOR LOCOMOTIVES Application filed Gctober 31, 1928. Serial No. 318,150.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved construction of steam exhaust nozzle for locomotives.

A further object of the invention is to provide an. improved construction of steam exhaust nozzle adapted for use in combina tion with locomotive boilers forthe purpose of maintaining draft on the fire of said boiler.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of steam exhaust nozzle adapted for use in combination with the stack and boiler of a locomotive, whereby the exhaust steam from the cylinders of a locomotive may be discharged through the stack thereof to establish and maintain a draft on and through the fire of said boiler.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of steam exhaust nozzle adapted to receive exhaust steam from the cylinders of a locomotive and discharge said exhaust steam axially of the stack of said locomotive.

A further object of the invention is to be found in the provision of an improved steam exhaust nozzle for locomotives having separate chambers to receive the steam exhausted from the locomotive cylinders, an integral mixing chamber communicating with said separate chambers and an integral discharge nozzle communicating with said mixing chamber.

A further object of the invention is to be found in the provision of improved means for discharging exhaust steam at high velocity axially of the stack of a locomotive.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of elements hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a transverse section through the smol e-box of a conventionalized locomotive boiler, showing my improvement installed in position for practical use. Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the smoke-box of a conventionalized locomotive boiler, showing my improvement in position for practical use. Figure 3 is a vertical section, on an enlarged scale, of my improved nozzle. Figure 4 is a vertical sectio-n, on the same scale as and at right angles to the showing of Figure 3, of my improved nozzle. Figure 5 is a plan View of the improved nozzle. Figure 6 is a bottom view of the improved nozzle.

In the drawings, the forward end portion of a locomotive boiler is conventionally shown as comprising a cylinderical shell 10 having a front end closure 11, a front tube plate 12 spaced rearwardly from the member 11 to form a cylindrical chamber there between, a baffle plate 13 extending forwardly and downwardly from the tube plate 12 across the open ends of a portion of the tubes opening through said plate 12, spark arresting devices 14: and a staci: 15 opening through the upper portion of the cylindrical chamber or smoke box. Steam pipes or channels 16 lead from each of the cylinder assemblies of the locomotive, (not shown),

to discharge orifices opening upwardly through the lower wall of the cylindrical chamber or smoke-box immediately beneath the stack 15, and it is the function of the pipes 16 to conduct exhaust steam from the cylinder assemblies and discharge the same by means of a nozzle through the stack 15, to the end that a partial vacuum may be established within the said smoke-box for the purpose of maintaining a draft through the tubes and lire-box of the boiler.

All of the for oing is standard construction, common and well known, and in itself forms no part of my invention which resides in the improved nozzle hereinafter to be described.

Since the pipes 16 may not be combined or brought to a common discharge orifice without back pressure being established in one of said pipes when steam is exhausting throu' h the other, they open into the smoke box of the boiler through separate, adjacent, upwardly-directed passages over and in communica'tion with which is mounted the exhaust nozzle 17, which is preferably bolted or otherwise removably secured in position. In its preferred form, the nozzle 17 con prises a truncated pyramidal base portion having an altitude greater than its greatest width, said base portion being hollow and uniformly tapered within and without, a partition 18 within said base portion, on the longitudinal median line thereof and extending substantially two-thirds of the distance from the base to the upper plane of the truncated pyramid, said partition having a downwardly-extending notch in its upper margin, and a cylinder 19 with a length in excess of twice its diameter on and 'ising from the upper end of said base portion, said cylinder iaving a smoothly linished, true bore communicating with the interior of said base portion. The nozzle 17, constructed as shown and described, is mounted above the discharge orifices of the pipes 16, each of said pipes communicating with one of the chambers formed in the base portion of said nozzle on either side of the partition 18, the axis of the cylinder 19 being in alinement with the axis of the stack 15. With the nozzle 17 mounted as above set forth, exhaust steam passing .through either of the pipes 16 is discharged into one of the chambers of the base portion of said nozzle, the partition 18 preventing the setting up of back pressure in the other pipe 16, and said exhaust steam, rising through the base portion of the nozzle, overflows through the notch in the partition 18 to fill the upper portion of the pyramid, from whence it passes under increased pressure due to the converging walls of the nozzle into the discharge cylinder 19, the length and smooth walls of said cylinder serving to eliminate eddies and currents in the steam and discharge the same with projectile-like velocity and .ecuracy axial y of the stack 15, carrying a portion of the smoke and gases from the smoke-box out through said stack and inducing a low pressure within the smoke-box and a resultant draft througl'i the boiler fiues and fire-box.

Experiment has demonstrated that the most efficient fire for a boiler such as is used in locomotives is one maintained at fusing heat, since such a heat entirely consumes tl e combustible elements of the fuel, is not readily cooled by additions of fuel and may be maintained through relatively small additions of fuel at frequent intervals. To maintain a tire at fusing heat, a high draft is necessary, and such a draft may be had through the use of an exhaust nozzle designed to fill the stack 15 with exhaust steam and create the desired vacuum within the smoke-box through the plunger-like action of the steam escaping from said stack, but such plunger-like action tends to produce too high avacuum, suddenly, with the result that the fire is apt to be lifted from the grates in places and torn apart, letting cold air into the fire-box with undesirable effect. On the contrary, my improved nozzle discharges small puifs of steam through the center of the stack at high velocity, inducing outward currents through said stack from the smoke-box whereby a steady draft of high intensity may be uniformly maintained even at slow working speeds of the cylinders.

Though the stack shown and described is a simple cylinder, it is to be understood that my improvement may be used with diamond stacks, petticoatpipes and various other appliances and refinements, and I wish to be further understood as being limited solely by the scope of the appended claim rather than by the illustrative showing or foregoing description.

I claim as my invention- An exhaust nozzle for locomotives comprisin a hollow base rectangular in cross section and tapered towards its upper end, a cylindrical neck rising from said base, and being unobstructed throughout its length and of at least twice its diameter in length, and a partition in said base disposed vertically therein midway its Width with its side edges fixed to opposed side walls of the base, said partition terminating in spaced relation to the upper end of the base and having its upper end formed with downwardly converging edges defining a- V-shaped recess having its upper end QX tending the full width of the partition.

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

GILES H. COOK. 

